Food container



Jan; 10, 1928. 1,655,544

. F. W. HOLDERLE ET AL FOOD CONTAINER 4 Filed Feb. 3) 1925 NH wif/www,

im fw x\ -Ax Patented Jau. 1 0, 1928.

1,655,544, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. HCLDERLE AND CARLI.. HOILD'ERLE, or ROCHESTER, NEW YoRk.

Econ CONTAINER.

Appucaapn med 'February 3,-1926. serial No. 85,798.

This invention relates to a food container, and has special applicationto the general type of@ construction used in ice cream and soft drinkdispensaries where one part of a cabinet is employed for keeping icecream at a low temperature while another portion ofv the cabinet is keptat a somewhat higher tem-A perature but sufficiently cold formaintaining liquid conducting coils,'bottled goods and other 'food'products at a proper temperature slightly above freezing.

ne object of the invention is to afford a simple and practicalconstruction which can -be readilycontrolled by an attendant, to keepdesired temperature within a cooling cham- A further object of theinvention is to provide a refrigerant conductor in such relation to acoolin freezing o at the same time maintaining a sufficiently coldtemperature therein at all times. i Another object of the improvement isto afford a simplified construction that can be manufactured atreasonable cost, which will perform the various necessary functionswhile occupying a minimum ioor space.

An additional object of the improvement is to emplo arefrigerant-conductorin conjunction with a cooling chamber, so as toeliminate the necessity of using water in the cooling chamber, therebypermitting the latter to be employed in the double capacity of housingand cooling soda and other liquid coils, and also to be` used as acooling cabinet for bottled goods and other food products intended t-obe kept at-a temperatureslightly above freezing.

To these and other ends, c the invention comprises the structure thatwill appear clearly nfrom `the following description when read incon'unction with the accompanying drawings, t e novel features beingpointed out in the claims following the description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional View of a food container,incorporating a preferred embodiment of the -several features of theinvention;

Figure ,2 vis a longitudinal vertical sectional View taken centrallythrough the refrigerant conductor;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 1, and

chamber as to definitely prevent any products inthe latter, WhileVU-shaped, affording upper branches 10 and l1 extending laterally of theFigure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 ofv Figure 5 is a detaillperspective view of the unit which cooperates with a wall of the coolingchamber to form the refrigerant conductor.

' Referring-more particularly to the draw-v mgs, in which like referenceccharacters refer to corresponding 'parts in the several views, thestructure in which we have seen fit to illustrate one embodiment of theinvention includes a refrigerant chamber 1, and accolchamber 2,separated from each other and both surrounded` by suitable insulating'means such as a cork body 3. The refrigerant chamber 1 is lprovidedwith a series of receptacles 4 fory containing ice cream cans 5, andholds a suitable refrigerant 6, such as a solution of alcohol and water,that is kept at aproper temperature by a refrigerating unit which may beany conventional type of ice making or refrigerating machine.

\ `The refrigerant chamber 1'is used to hold l ice cream cans 5, and tomaintain their contents at the required temperature, while the coolingchamber 2 is adapted for properly cooling soda or liquid coilsl 8, andbottled goods or other products that are stored in the chamber 2 abovethe coils 8, for which pur- ,pose a rack 9 may be provided. Necessarily,

the temperature in cooling chamber 2 is.

maintained somewhat higher than in refrigerant chamber l, since itisessential to prevent freezing of the contents in chamber 2, and in ordertol use the refrigerant 6 from chamber 1, for maintaining thetemperature in the cooling chamber 2 at a proper-point above freezing,the following structure is provided. I l

Connecting with the top and bottom portions of the refrigerant chamber1, and pre'ferably to one side of cooling chamber 2, is a circulatoryrefrigerant conductor, preferably and lower cooling chamber opposite theupper and lower portions thereof, and a'vertical branch 12 connectingsaid lateral branches. The refrigerant conductor is located outside andin juXta-relation to the cooling chamber 2, and

is preferably formed hv aiiixiug a metal unit, such asdesignated inFigure 5, to the outside of a side wall of the coolingchamber 2. suchside wall 13 constituting one-wall of the re. friqerant conductor, asshown in Figure 4.

Located between the top and bottom branches 10 and 11 of therefrigerant'conductor is an insulating body 14 of cork or circulation of therefrigerant as shown by l the arrows in Figure 2. This effects constantcooling of chamber 2, the bottom portion being kept at a slightly lowertemperai .ture than lthe upper portion, due to the 'difference betweenthe temperatures of the upper and lower branches 1() and 11 ,of therefrigerant conductor. 15 is a valve, located preferably in the upperbranch 10` of the refrigerant conductor, its handle 16 beingconveniently accessible to anatte-ndant, and operable, when desired, tocontrol or shut-olf ucirculation of refrigerant through the conductor,and'thus raise the temperature in the cooling chamber. By means ofproperly adjusting valve 15 to regulate the flow of rigerant. throughthe`condu'ctor, the temperature in the cooling chamber 2 can bemaintained to a nicety at any required point. If desirable, the liquidcoils 8. in the cooling chamber 2 can be immersed in a body of water ofsufficient depth only to cover the coils, although this is notnecessary, since the temperature ofthe liquid in coils`8 can be properlymaintained through coolingthe air in chamber 2, and thus formation ofice within the `cooling chamber avoided.

While the invention has with reference to a particular embodiment, it isnot tobe understood as restricted to the details herein shown, and thisapplication is intended to cover any modifications coming within theprinciple underlying the A invention, or the scope of the followingclaims.

We claim: 1. In a food container, the combination t with a refrigerantchamber, -of a cooling chamber, and a circulatory refrigerant conduitlocated outside the cooling chamber, said conduit being in communicationwith the top and bottom o f the refrigerant chamber. and extendingtherefrom into heat exchanging relation to chamber.

2. In a food container, the combination is entirelybeen described4 awall of the' cooling with a refrigerant chamber, of a cooling chamber,and means connected with the refrigerant chamber for conducting therefrigerant outside and adjacent to a wall of the cooling chamber inapath laterally across the bottom portion of the said wall, thenceupwardly and llaterally across the `upper, portion of the said wall.

portions of the refrigerant chamber and located outside and adjacent toa wall of the cooling chamber.

, 5. In av food container', the combination with a refrigerant chamber,of ya cooling chamber, a U-shaped refrigerant conductor connecting withIthe top and bottom portions of the refrigerant chamber and extendingacross the top and bottom portions of the cooling chamber exteriorlythereof, and insulating means interposed between the top and bottombranches of said U-shaped refrigerant conductor.

6. In a food container, the combination with a refrigerantl chamber, ofa cooling chamber, and a U-shaped refrigerant conductor connecting withthe top and bottom of the refrigerant chamber, one wall of the coolingchamber forming one wall of the refrigerant conductor, which latter islocat ed outside the cooling chamber and extends laterally across thetop and bottom portions thereof, and insulating means interposed betweenthe top and bottom branches of said U-shaped conductor.

7. In aY food container, the combination with a refrigerant chamber, ofa cooling chamber, a U- haped refrigerant conductor `in operativerelation with the top and bottom portions of said cooling chamber', andinsulating means between the .top and bottom' branches of saidconductor.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names.

FREDERICK W. HOLDERLE. CARL L. HOLDERLE.

